Chimera
by T. R. Delacor
Summary: Chimera -- fanciful illusions -- things are not always as they seem
1. st Chapter

Chimera -- (n.) 

1. Something totally unrealistic or impractical: a figment of the imagination, for example, a wildly unrealistic idea or hope or a completely impractical plan. 

2. A fanciful  illusion or fabrication; imagination or immense creativity; hallucinations

3. A substance, such as an antibody, created from the proteins or genes or two different species.

4. (a) A fire-breathing she-monster usually represented as a composite of a lion, goat, and serpent. (b) An imaginary monster made up of grotesquely disparate parts.

**.:*:****. ~!!~ .:*:.**

            "Sango, you look tired. Are you sure you'll make it?" asked a concerned Miroku. As Sango struggled to take another step forward, she replied, "Yes, I'll be fine. I think...I just..."  Her sentence was interrupted as she felt her energy drain from her, and she felt her knees grow weak. Miroku caught the falling demon exterminator just in time. "Sango!" he cried out, as she fell safely into his arms. 

            Kagome ran to Sango's side as Miroku gently laid her down on the ground while cradling her head in his lap. Inuyasha just stared at her, unsure of what to do. "Feh! Well, we can't just sit here all day. The village where we're traveling to is about three hours away now. If we want to get there before sun-down, we can't stop." he said gruffly. Miroku looked up at him, and expounded upon the situation to the intolerant dog-demon, as patiently as he could, "Inuyasha, we're all tired. We've been in battle non-stop, and we need time to rest. Why don't we stop at a village closer to here, and then tomorrow go to the one in Asahikawa? We can't possibly make it there tonight. I know of a village that's only a few minutes away from here. It would be better for Lady Sango if we stopped there for tonight."   
  
            Inuyasha crossed his arms over his chest, and sat down on the ground. After streaming out a few lines of crude obscenities, he finally answered, "Fine." He added crossly, "It's just for tonight though. We get up early tomorrow and continue on our way."  Sango gave a weak smile and quietly said, "Arigatou gozaimasu.", as she tried to get up. Miroku, ever the valiant hero, hoisted her up into his arms. I suppose that his hand must have slipped, or there was some other explainable reason I'm sure, but it some how found its way to Sango's rear end; I suppose Sango's hand must have slipped as well, for it soon found it's way to Miroku's face. 

            "There is no way that **Furyou Houshi_ is carrying me all the way to that village!", Sango exclaimed. Miroku feigned indignation, and said, "Lady Sango, I assure you that I have no ill-intentions toward you. My hand simply slipped and..."   _**

            Suddenly everyone was looking at him, with an expression that said 'Yeah, right, do you actually think we believe that crap?' Kagome then spoke up, "Why don't you just ride Kirara to the village?" pointing to the furry animal next to Sango at the moment. Sango shook her head, explaining, "Kirara has been injured in battle, and needs time to heal as well as I do. I can't ride her; it would just aggravate her wounds further."

            With another 'Feh', Inuyasha stood up, and then in one swift movement put Sango on his back. "Can we go yet?" he asked with a hint of evident annoyance. "Grab Kirara and Sango's Hiraikotsu, and let's go!" commanded Inuyasha to Miroku, who was still sitting on the ground.

            It was obvious that something was irritating Inuyasha today, so Miroku grabbed Sango's possessions without arguing. Sango just shrugged helplessly. Kagome stood on one side of Inuyasha along with Shippou and Myouga, while Miroku took his place next to Sango, meaning next to Inuyasha also. The six walked on without complaints and in silence. 

.:*:. ~!!~ .:*:.

            The rest of the group watched disinterested as Miroku began his familiar routine. "I sense evil spirits here. It seems that there are two water demons and a fire demon residing here. I would be happy to expel them for you, sir. But I would be required to stay overnight, as to wait until the demons come out from hiding." 

            The poor unsuspecting man welcomed the monk and his companions inside, and offered them rooms for the night, dinner, and a small sum of yen, not realizing what the monk was planning. 

            They were shown to their sleeping quarters, and as soon as the door was shut, Miroku explained to his companions the reason why he had chosen this house. "I was not simply finding an easy victim to lay prey to my... ahem...fabrications. In actuality I did indeed sense not only multiple demons here, but several shards of the jewel as well." Kagome nodded her head in agreement. "Yes, I sense them as well. They are really close by." Inuyasha opened the door, and put a hand on the Tetsugaiga's sheath. "Good. We'll go search for them right now before some other scum gets to them." 

            Sango shook her head. "No. It will be better to wait until it becomes night. I assume that the owner will not want his whole house destroyed, nor does he wish to witness your acts of mass destruction. It will be better to attack under the veil of darkness." Inuyasha scowled at her, and walked out the door to go to his own room. Miroku and Shippou followed him, while Kagome stayed in the room with Sango. "I wonder what's up with Inuyasha lately?" Kagome questioned out loud. 

            "It could just be the strain of multiple battles bearing hard against his soul. It would be wise of him to take time off and rest as we are doing." Sango laid back on the floor mattress and closed her eyes as though she were going to sleep, though she was actually still very much in deep thought. An image kept repeating itself in her head: after the last battle, she saw Kikyo hand Inuyasha a small bottle with some sort of liquid inside. What disturbed her the most was that it was not Kikyo at all, and yet Inuyasha did not realize that. What was in the bottle? And why didn't Inuyasha realize it wasn't her? 

            After so many battles with Naraku, Sango had easily recognized his spirit energy. But why hadn't Inuyasha? It was quite a mystery indeed.  As soon as night fell, Sango would speak to Inuyasha of this matter. But for now, she must relax to recover as much of her strength as she could. As Sango started to lay her head back down on the pillow, she became acutely aware that Kagome had left. She sat up and looked outside. When had it become so dark? The last hint of the sunrise was just beginning to wane. She instinctively grabbed her Hiraikotsu as she heard footsteps making their way towards her. Sango laid her head back down on the pillow, hoping to fool whatever intruders there were into thinking she was still asleep. The footsteps suddenly stopped at what sounded like outside her door. Suddenly she felt a hand on her shoulder, and she instinctively raised herself up in preparation to strike whoever it was. 

            "Inuyasha!" she exclaimed, as she came face to face with the intruder. "What is it you desire?" she demanded of him, still breathless from fear. Inuyasha seated himself next to her bedding, and crossed his arms over his chest. "I just came to tell you that Miroku has gone to expel the demons, and Kagome has gone with him to help him sense the shards. They told me to stay here and keep an eye on you." Sango pulled the Hiraikotsu closer to her, and stubbornly said, "I can take care of myself." At this Inuyasha laughed, but then a solemn expression came over his face. "I know you saw."

.:*:. ~!!~ .:*:.

            After an immensely long period of silence, she finally managed to stammer out, "Sa-Saw what?" Inuyasha frowned. "Don't act stupid with me, Sango. You know what you saw." Sango looked down. "What was in the bottle?" she asked quietly. Inuyasha shook his head. "I'll tell you later. Right now I'm gettin' me some shut eye. 'Night." He then laid down on Kagome's bed, and closed his eyes as though he were going to sleep. "What's that suppose to mean!?" asked Sango. "Feh. Just go to bed. I'll tell you later." Knowing she shouldn't argue with one as obstinate as Inuyasha, she laid back down on her bed also.

.:*:. ~!!~ .:*:.

            "Ah...!" Sango woke up, and struggled to scream for help, but a strong hand enclosed around her throat made it difficult to breathe, much less scream. She felt another hand grab her waist and flip her over, so that she was facing the pillow. As she felt her face being forced downward into the pillow, she glanced up at her assailant. "In-Inuyas...!"

"Why...?" was all that she could think of.

            Suddenly the pressure of the hand was lifted off the back of her neck. She turned over and realized that Kirara had attacked him. She grabbed her Hiraikotsu, and threw off her customary kimono, and donned her battle habiliments. She ran outside to rescue Kirara, and then stopped short. 

...What?...Inuyasha was...a full demon??


	2. nd Chapter

.:*:. ~!!~ .:*:.

.:*:.Chapter 2.:*:.

            "Inuyasha, Sango, Kirara, Shippou! We're back!" called out Kagome as she and Miroku walked into the doorway. Miroku's eyes quickly swept across the room.  "Sango?" he asked, wondering where she could be. He gasped in surprise, as he focused in on one small, dark corner of the room. "Sango?" he repeated, making his way over to the balled up figure. As he knelt down beside her and put his hand on her shoulder, he realized she was shaking violently. "Sango! What happened here? Where's Inuyasha?!" 

            When Miroku said that name, he felt her tense up, and begin to shake even more fiercely than before. He pulled her into his arms and tried to comfort her. "Kagome, do you have a blanket?" Kagome automatically went over to her bed and pulled out the blanket from behind her pillow. She handed the blanket to Miroku, but as she was putting the pillow back in its proper place, she gasped. As he was wrapping the blanket around Sango, he answered, "What is it?" 

            It was his turn to gasp as well, as he saw the blood covering, drenching, the underside of the pillow. "What...What on earth happened here? Where are Shippou and Kirara at anyways? Sango, tell us what happened." Sango tried to wipe away the salty liquid that spilled down her face, but it wouldn't stop cascading down, soaking the blanket. "Thank... you... for coming back...  In-Inuyas-sha...he..." She burst into another fit of tears, and could say nothing more for the rest of the night. After many warm murmurs and calm reassurances, she finally fell asleep in Miroku's arms. When she had finally calmed down, and gone to sleep, Miroku turned to Kagome, who was still in shock herself. "I wonder what happened here. Sango is a very valiant fighter. It would take quite an attack to make her...make her go into shock like that."

            Kagome picked up the pillow again to turn it over and relieve them of the horrible sight. "I'm not sure what happened here. But Sango did say something about Inuyasha. Maybe Naraku attacked? And whose blood is this?" Miroku looked back down at the sleeping Sango. "I don't think it's her blood..." but then trailed off, as he saw the bandage wrapped around her torso, which he only just now noticed. 

            As he turned her over, he realized just how bad the wound was.  As much as he hated to wake her, he gently shook to Sango awake so he could change her bandages. "I'm sorry to wake you, Sango, but I need to change your... err...bandages..." She slowly sat up, wincing as the pain in her stomach grew. 

.:*:. ~!!~ .:*:.

            After Sango's bandages had been changed, and they had all shared some of Kagome's food from her world, the group, excluding Inuyasha, Shippou, and Kirara, sat in a close circle as Sango reiterated that night's latest turn of events. 

"Inuyasha -- he will return soon." she said in a low whisper. "Where did he go to?" asked Kagome. Sango looked at her momentarily, and then looked back down at her lap. "After you had left, Inuyasha came in here. He told me that he knew that I saw..." Miroku looked slightly confused, as did Kagome also. "What was it that you saw? Sango, you aren't making any sense." 

            "After... After the last battle, I saw Kikyo hand Inuyasha a bottle... a bottle with amber-red liquid inside. But it wasn't actually Kikyo. I felt Naraku's spirit energy, yet Inuyasha did not. After he told me that he knew I had seen him, I asked him about what was in the bottle. But he just evaded the question, and told me he would tell me later. I was feeling tired again, so I lay back down to go to sleep, when I felt someone grab my neck. I wouldn't have been able to get up if Kirara hadn't attacked him. When I was finally able to get up, I stepped outside to help Kirara, when... when I saw that Inuyasha... Inuyasha had turned into a full demon."

            "A full demon?" questioned Kagome and Miroku simultaneously. 

Miroku put his hand gently on her shoulder, and urged her to continue.

            Sango nodded her head. "Then he stepped forward like he was going to attack me, like he didn't even know who I was. He slashed my abdomen, but Kirara pounced on him. We then engaged in battle. That was nothing like the hanyou Inuyasha was... That was much too fierce, even for Inuyasha..." Sango trailed off, as though she was reliving the battle in her mind. After a few grimaces, she shook her head to free her mind of the sight, and continued her narration. "He finally trapped me against a tree, and... I remember seeing his claws come down toward me, but...  after that everything went black, and I ended up here... Thank you for bandaging my stomach Kagome-chan. But why did you leave again?"

            Kagome eyes grew wide as she looked at Miroku. "Sango... We weren't the ones to bandage up your stomach the first time... It was already bandaged when we arrived here..."

            Sango's expression grew just as troubled as Miroku and Kagome's were, "What? But someone carried me inside... I remember someone bandaging my wounds... then they left... and I fell asleep, and when I woke up, I heard some noise, so I moved to the corner for better protection and I was so scared... but then you came back... and... You mean that wasn't you the first time??"

            Kagome silently shook her head no. 

            "Kagome...What if that wasn't really Inuyasha that attacked me... or even worse... what if it wasn't really Inuyasha who has been traveling with us?"

.:*:.~!!~.:*:.

"Who are you and what is your business here?!" 

"What are you talking about? Are you three feeling okay?"

            Inuyasha had arrived. And with his arrival came a barrage of questions. 

"What do you mean who am I? I'm Inuyasha!"

"Then why would you attack me!?" asked Sango.

"Attack you? I haven't attacked you!" 

"Where have you been all night then?" asked Miroku, putting his arm protectively around Sango. 

"I've been out walking all night, _monk. Where do you think I've been?"_

"How'd you get that wound then, _Inuyasha? If that even __is your real name." This came from Kagome, referring to the bandage around his left arm._

"Of course that's my name! And I... I don't remember where I got it from..."

A puzzled expression made its way across Inuyasha's face, soon followed by more bewildered expressions from the others.

"Where are Kirara and Shippou?" Kagome looked behind Inuyasha but still couldn't see the two furry creatures.

"I don't know. I haven't seen them." He answered. 

Silence fell over the group. Kagome and Sango stepped back, and pressed into the corner as Miroku stepped in front of them. 

"Inuyasha, let us go outside and talk privately."

"Feh." Was the only reply that Miroku got from the hanyou.

.:*:.~!!~.:*:.

"Inuyasha, do you realize what happened tonight?"

Inuyasha gave Miroku a funny look. "I guess someone attacked Sango and she's delusional about it. Too bad for her... not my problem though..."

Miroku swiftly brought his staff down onto Inuyasha's head. 

"I ask you not to speak of Lady Sango with such impudence again." requested the monk, with the most serious expression the pervert could muster up at that moment.

Inuyasha crossed his arms over his chest and muttered a 'whatever'.

Miroku sat down on the ground beside him; just as dawn was breaking, he began to explain to Inuyasha what had transpired in his absence, since he was obviously oblivious to the damaged he had caused. 

            Midway through the story, with lots of superfluous cursing from Inuyasha the whole time, Shippou appeared on the horizon. Within a minute or so, Shippou was in his customary place, perched on Miroku's shoulder. 

"Where were you, Shippou? Where's Kirara at?" Shippou looked at Miroku blankly. "I don't know where I was. I don't remember; I just woke up in the middle of the woods. Kirara was there too. She's with Sango now." Miroku quickly murmured a single word under his breath: "Naraku." Miroku looked back at Inuyasha, and knew there was one question that would ultimately solve all others.

"Inuyasha... What was in the bottle?"

"Viagra..."

            After Inuyasha had laughed hysterically for what must have been an extremely long time, judging from the unnatural bright red flush of his face, he finally managed to choke out, "It was just a joke, Miroku." Instead of following his instinct to whap Inuyasha a few times on the head, Miroku just let it go. Though he does have to wonder what that drug would do to increase his potency level... the possibilities were endless... 

            Before Miroku had a chance to think about what he was going to name his (and hopefully Sango's) future children, Inuyasha woke him up from his internal reverie by asking, "Seriously, what bottle are you talking about?" "The one Kikyo gave you..." answered Miroku hesitantly. 

At the mention of _that name, Inuyasha involuntarily blanched. "I haven't seen her for months... And she never gave me any bottle. The only bottles I know of are the ones Kagome brought back from her time." Miroku nodded his head. "That's just as I suspected." Inuyasha raised an eyebrow up. "What is it that you suspect, monk? Finally figure out that women don't like to be groped?" Miroku's eyes grew large. "They don't?!? But Mushin said..." Miroku shook his head, and he muttered a barely audible "Who would've known..." Inuyasha blinked. "So what was it that you suspected?" Miroku shook his head. "Later. Here comes Lady Kagome now." Inuyasha turned around. Sure enough she was making her way towards the trio. When she arrived, she stood behind Miroku, until he finally placated her fears by telling her that Inuyasha would not harm her. She apprehensively kneeled down on the ground next to Inuyasha. "Why did you attack Sango?"_

Miroku spoke up and said, "It was not Inuyasha who attacked Sango. At least it was not _this Inuyasha who attacked Sango." Kagome gave him a quizzical look. "I will explain my hypothesis tonight. Please go check on Lady Sango and Kirara, and change her bandages also.  We will be back shortly." Kagome looked from Inuyasha back to Miroku. "Okay...?" she answered questioningly._

Miroku looked over his back to make sure Kagome, who was already half way over the hill, and fast disappearing into the horizon, was not still in hearing distance. "Inuyasha... There is one last question I have to ask of you..." 

Lying back against the tree trunk, Inuyasha gave Miroku an uncertain look. What was he going to ask now? To make light of the situation he attempted to say one of those things that Kagome said her time called a 'joke'. He just called it degrading the corrupt monk. Inuyasha paused a moment to feign sincerity.  "Look, Miroku, I already told you that I don't know if any more girls are around here or where they would be, okay? And no, I don't think Sango will actually let you grab her butt today-- not that you wait to ask anyways!" This witty reply earned Inuyasha another whap on the head. "Feh! What is it, Miroku?" Miroku paused for a moment to consider the correct way to word his last question.

 "Inuyasha... do you like flowers?"                                            

 .:*:.~!!~.:*:.


	3. rd Chapter

.:*:. ~!!~ .:*:.

.:*:.Chapter 3.:*:.

            The girls and Shippou sat across from Inuyasha and Miroku, looking wary of their companions.  Inuyasha and Miroku had been gone for quite a long time.

            "I wonder what Inuyasha said to him", commented Sango. Miroku didn't look angry at Inuyasha in the least, nor did he look frightened to be around him. What on earth was going on here? The five ate their ramen in silence.

            Finally, after what seemed like an infinite forever, Miroku leaned over and whispered to Inuyasha, "Do you think I should explain my hypothesis to them now?" Inuyasha gave Miroku a funny look. "What's a high-poth-eh-sis?" Miroku sweat-dropped. After a minute or so, he cleared his throat to get the girls attention.

            He knew that it was time they faced their opponent, regardless of the consequences.

            "I believe that I know what happened between Inuyasha and Sango here." The girls looked up, and slowly put down their bowls. "Kagome, may I see your bag?" She looked down at her bag and back up at Miroku.

            "No."

Miroku blinked. "Why not?" Kagome's eyes grew large. How was she supposed to explain this to him?

            "There... are... _things_... in there that I don't want you to see." After this she folded her arms across her chest, indicating that the case was closed and would not be further discussed. Miroku just blinked again. 

            "Fine. May I see your medicine kit then?" Kagome just looked at him. He must be doing this on purpose. Fine, whatever that stupid monk wanted. She slowly got up and retrieved the medicine kit for him, and hesitantly placed it in his hands.

            Miroku focused on the box with utmost concentration. "Now then, what I believe caused this cha-..." As he flipped up the lock that held the top of the box in place, suddenly things popped out of the medicine kit and started attacking him. He tried to ward them off, but there were just too many. Instead of fighting them, he just played dead, hoping they would give up. When at last the onslaught slowed, he pulled a tampon from off his head. "Kagome, next time, put your sanitary napkins somewhere else, okay?" He retrieved a _Kotex maxi with extra flexible wings from the inside of his sleeve and the _Tampax___ Compact with retractable inserter  from his staff. After he piled all the woman paraphernalia in one corner, he retrieved what he was looking for out of the box. _

            "This... is what caused Inuyasha's change."

The other's just stared on blankly at the bottle. "What's that?" asked Sango, finally breaking the silence. The bottle was roughly about 4 inches tall, with intricate carvings down the side. The top was fastened with a glass stopper, atop of which stood a small figure of a flower.

            Miroku looked at it for a moment, and ran his finger softly over the designs, as though it would help him remember what was inside of it. After a long period of silence, he softly said, "This is what... what killed my father." Sango put her hand up to her mouth to silence the gasp that inevitably escaped. "Poor Houshi-sama..." she thought to herself. She put her hand gently on his shoulder as a sign of empathy. Miroku took her hand into his, and looked deep into her eyes. Sango felt herself blush at the intensity with which the monk stared into her brown eyes with his Prussian blue ones, and, though not for the first time, felt a deep connection with him, and truly felt their souls unite as one. But within the next moment the only thing connecting them was Sango's hand on Miroku's cheek as she slapped him for grabbing her butt _yet again. "That monk..." she thought to herself, as thoughts of murder ran, no, **stampeded**, through her mind.  Miroku smiled, and thought to himself, "That was **so** worth it."_

            "Sango! Don't attack Miroku! You've been injured! _Wait until you've recovered!" Sango nodded. Suddenly Kirara appeared, almost as if she had felt her owner's distress. Everyone just looked at her. "Where has she been?" wondered Sango. After Kirara took her place between Sango and Miroku to prevent anymore lecherous events, and after Miroku had taken a moment to savor the feeling of having accomplished a very important task, and after having him and Inuyasha sent to the corner, he continued his narration._

            Facing the wall, he continued by saying, "Though it was the air rip that killed him in the end, it was this... this _poison_ that sent him to his grave long before the air rip had the chance to." He was glad he was facing away from Sango, as his vision was beginning to blur at the memory of his now-gone family. "Because of this, he believed that he could absorb a monster into his air rip, even though it was of an absurd size. He believed that nothing would happen... even though Mushin told him that he could not use his air rip any more. This poison, it... it tricked him. It deceived his mind by..." Miroku paused to blink back the water forming in his eyes. Sango spoke up, "The bottle does look familiar. I think I remember seeing one of the other demon exterminators retrieve it from a demon. I never asked about it though, and I don't know where it came from, or what they did with it."

            Yes. Not many people know about this supposed elixir." After a few more moments of deafening silence, Kagome voiced the question that was foremost in everybody's mind-- except perhaps Miroku, who was thinking about the sleeping arrangements for that night, as it was evident that Lady Sango would need someone to watch over her while she was so badly injured. "What does this _elixir have to do with Inuyasha?" _

            Letting out a deep, melancholic sigh, he explained, "This elixir is called '**chimera'.  This comes from the Latin _chimaera, which is derived from the Greek _khimaira_, which means she-goat. A chimera is actually a fire-breathing she-monster usually represented as a composite of a lion, goat, and serpent, or as it is stated in ancient mythology. But the secondary meaning is 'fanciful illusions or fabrications'. Hence this liquid's name. As I understand it, this powerful potion is made up of the dew of a rare flower found only deep within the heart of southern Africa. This flower is called the amaryllis, but its conventional name is Belladonna's lily. When ingested, this liquid imposes upon its victim whatever dreams the maker wishes to conjure up. It was supposedly created by _le_ _sorciere avec le coeur noir noire et gros_." He lifted an eyebrow at Inuyasha and remembered that the hanyou didn't know correct English, much less French. He translated, "It means 'the witch with the black and heavy heart.' Her husband, a powerful demon, left her for another woman, not on his own free will though. A rival witch had hypnotized him into believing that he loved her, instead of his wife. The woman was heart-broken as a result of this, and heavily grieved. To extract her revenge on the other witch, she made this potion from the flower, to counter act the hypnosis. But in the end, instead of awakening from the previous hypnosis, the potion caused him to see her 'soul', bare and uncovered, and what he saw frightened him so that he killed her. He didn't recognize it was his lover until it was too late." Miroku paused, as he thought he heard a sniffle from Inuyasha. "It wasn't that her soul was actually that hideous, it was just what the other witch wanted him to see. This potion controls its victim's minds and enslaves them under a psychoneuromatic trance."_**

 Everyone blinked. Miroku sweat-dropped.

 "Okay, so 'psychoneuromatic' isn't a word. It sounded good though." Sango just shook her head in shame. 

            "But... how did this get into my bag? I don't remember getting it from anywhere... And how does this tie in with Inuyasha?" 

            "I'm not sure where you got it from. But somehow, Shippou, Kirara, and Inuyasha have all been affected by it. Inuyasha attacked Sango because he saw her as something she was not. I imagine that he saw her as Naraku or Sesshoumaru, or as another enemy of some sort. We all know that Inuyasha would not attack Sango for any reason at all."

            Now Sango spoke up: "But I saw 'Kikyo' hand a bottle to Inuyasha, yet it's not the one you're holding right now. Why didn't Inuyasha remember that much? Or why were only Inuyasha, Shippou, and Kirara affected? When did they get affected by it? And before he attacked, he was fine; he didn't seem to be under any sort of illusion at all. And why did he change into a full demon?" 

            Miroku thought for a moment. "Perhaps it was part of the chimera at work. Or perhaps Naraku, disguised as Kikyo, did give Inuyasha this potion. Naraku probably then used a spell to make Inuyasha forget the encounter. And as for who can be affected by it, you must remember that it was created for a demon, so it will probably only affect demons, and not humans, which could also be the reason why Inuyasha turned full demon. And... I don't know how it just suddenly started to work. Perhaps it turns itself on and off according to the will of the one controlling it." 

            They had been in here for almost 2 hours, which was 2 hours too long for the impatient dog demon. Inuyasha got up and walked out without saying a word. The others looked on, as they were familiar by now with Inuyasha's moods. Sango sighed, as she continued thinking her thoughts to herself

~!!~.:*:.~!!~


	4. th Chapter

.:*:. ~!!~ .:*:.

.:*:.Chapter 4.:*:.

            Up in the safety of his beloved trees, Inuyasha could finally think to himself. "Who is the one that is controlling this stuff? And why would they want to? Naraku isn't the one controlling it, because it affects demons, so how could a demon use it on someone else. How did it get into our hands?" Inuyasha shook his head as he tried to figure it out. Not coming up with any valid reasons, he gave up on it for the moment. "Let the monk figure it out." But then his mind went back to the story. The two lovers had been tricked by an enemy, just as Inuyasha and... Kikyo had been tricked also... "Feh!" He shook his head to get the thought out of his head. He looked down from the tree and could hear voices resonating out from inside the room. He could hear Sango yelling at Miroku lividly. Apparently he had groped her again. He leaned back against the truck of the tree and let his eyes close. He remembered the fear he saw in Sango's eyes when she saw him. He never meant to hurt her. Never.  Even though he didn't show it, he was glad that she wasn't seriously injured. Her wounds should heal within a matter of weeks. He could not let himself succumb to this potion's power again. He would **not endanger Sango again. He heard a noise, and glanced down. It was Sango. **

            "Inuyasha, could I speak to you for a few minutes?" 

            Needless to say, it didn't take long for Inuyasha to hop down from the tree and land in front of Sango. He gave her a brief nod, and then followed her as she led him down a pathway. He also noticed that she had her Hiraikotsu, and he could have sworn he saw the faint outline of Kirara near the bushes. 

She doesn't trust him anymore. 

            "Miroku..." Inuyasha winced at the name. "...thinks he knows who is controlling this stuff." Inuyasha's eyebrow went up, showing interest. 

            "Well, who is it then?" 

            Sango paused a moment, knowing this would be painful for Inuyasha.

            "Well, he's not completely sure... but as far as he can tell now..." Sango paused a moment, and looked up at Inuyasha. She gently laid her hand down on top of his, hoping he wouldn't pull away as he usually does when Kagome tries to talk to him. For the moment anyways, he didn't. "He believes that it is," she paused for a moment, and then continued, "...Kikyo." Inuyasha focused his intense gaze at the ground and, for a while, he refused to look up. When he finally did, he whispered something so softly, Sango wasn't sure she had heard him correctly. 

"...As long as you're okay, it doesn't matter..."

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            Miroku frowned as he heard the last words Inuyasha had uttered. He heard Sango ask him to repeat what he said, and he heard Inuyasha reply that he had said nothing and that Sango must have heard something else. Liar. Inuyasha and Sango have been talking more frequently since that last incident with Naraku. Have I pushed her too far away? Though he most certainly had a physical attraction for Lady Sango, he most certainly could control that same attraction. The only reason he groped her was to keep her distant from him. What if they didn't defeat Naraku? The air rip would eventually swallow him. He couldn't take the risk of hurting Sango. He would not, **could not, have a relationship with her until Naraku was soundly defeated. Even though he knew that sometimes it annoyed her, he could not ask her _the question _until he knew he could provide for her with stability. Until then, he would continue to ask everyone but her. **

            But had he pushed the groping too far? Maybe tonight had been too much for her. Miroku looked over at the clearing where Inuyasha and Sango had been talking before. It appeared they were still talking. As he stared at them, sitting a bit too close to each other for his own comfort, he realized that he couldn't stand looking at them together. He should go back to the house to make sure Kagome and Shippou were safe. Even though he didn't want to leave Sango alone with Inuyasha in case he succumbed to the potion again, it appeared she could take care of herself, judging from the way they were talking _tellement_maudire___ intime. He held the rings on his staff together so that they would not hear the jingling as he slowly got up, careful not to step on anything, and despondently made his way back to the village. _

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            "I know that... but why would Kikyo want to do this? She has no motive! I don't see how it could be her!"

            "Inuyasha... she _does_ have a motive. Don't you remember the story?" He did. 

            "You and Kikyo were betrayed by Naraku, and she didn't realize it wasn't you who had betrayed her until it was too late," Too late indeed.

           "...and the witch, the woman in the story, she and her love were betrayed by an enemy also, and he didn't realize that it wasn't her until it was too late." No, he hadn't realized it soon enough.

            "So you see, she _does_ have a motive. Or perhaps Naraku has a motive. Perhaps it is Naraku who got Kikyo to use the potion on you. But still, she does have a motive, yet all this doesn't matter unless we find a way to stop this person before they use it on us again. I don't even know how they gave it to us in the first place! Do you understand?" He did understand.

            "Yes." As he sat there, something began to come over him. A strange feeling made its way through his feet all the way up to his throat. "Aahh! Ants!" Inuyasha jumped around frantically in an attempt to get the millions of ants off his body. Sango, in between her hysterical laughter, brushed the ants off of his shoulders and back. When she had brushed the last one off, her hand came to stop on his chest. She blushed, and pulled her hand back away from him. Caught off guard, his mouth dropped open, but soon a small smile took the place of the previous gape. He took her hand back into his and placed her arm around his neck. Before Sango had time to react, Inuyasha had pulled her into a tight embrace. 

            "In-Inuyasha..." Sango started, but Inuyasha just pulled her closer and quietly shushed her. Inuyasha thought to himself, "Mmmm... she smells like... like cherry blossoms... And she's so soft." 

            "Sango..." Inuyasha quickly murmured under his breath. As they pulled away from their embrace, Inuyasha looked deep into her eyes, as she stared back into his golden ones. "Oh no, not again, please don't let him grope me." Sango silently pleaded. But instead of reaching for her rear end, Inuyasha brought his hand up to her cheek. He gently ran his finger over a small scratch she supposedly had received from him.

            "Sango... I'm sorry... I didn't know... I wasn't aware... I--" He was cut off as her mouth was suddenly placed on his. For a moment, he was soaring through paradise. Then a low growl came from the bushes, and Kirara jumped out to reveal herself. She transformed into the large cat demon, and approached Inuyasha and Sango. 

            "Kirara? What's wrong? What are you doing?"

            Kirara bared her teeth at her owner, and stopped only a few feet in front them. Sango looked at Inuyasha then back to Kirara. What was going on?  Is it attack-Sango day?? She slowly began to back up and move away from Inuyasha. Surprisingly, Kirara didn't come any closer. Sango gradually stood up when she thought she was far enough away. When she had finally straightened up into her fighting stance, Kirara bared her teeth at her again, and nuzzled up against Inuyasha. What the...??? Inuyasha looked down at Kirara, then back to Sango. Then his eyes went wide with realization. 

            "Sango! It's the Chimera!" Sango nodded her head in agreement. But how could they break the spell?

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	5. th Chapter

.:*:. ~!!~ .:*:.

.:*:.Chapter 5.:*:.

"Let's go already!"

Ever since the Chimera had possessed Kirara last night, Inuyasha had been especially impatient. They were lucky that after Sango had backed away, and had run back to the village to tell Miroku about Kirara's transformation, the Chimera had appeared to wear off. Kirara just looked around, almost as if searching for her master, and then had just walked off slowly as though nothing had happened. Inuyasha just sat there dazed for a while, wondering how the Chimera can just suddenly start up, and then just stop. He wondered if Kikyo was really the one behind this.

Sango walked slowly at the very back of the group, partially because it was difficult to walk any faster due to her injuries, and partially because she was lost in thought. That, and she thought it best to stay away from Inuyasha for a while. 

            She thought back to the kiss, and a light blush made it's way over her cheeks. She looked up at Kagome, and then back to Inuyasha. It's not like they were a couple. They always argue all the time and... It's undeniable that Kagome bears a strong resemblance to Kikyo, and that is what draws Inuyasha to her. It doesn't seem as though they are connected through any other way than that. 

            Sango glanced over at Miroku, but soon looked back down at the ground as he met her gaze. Even though Houshi-sama was a lech, and a pervert, and an idiot, he could still be really sweet at times. What's a girl suppose to do in a situation like this? All Sango could think of at the moment was how much she wished she was back at her village with Kohaku and her father. "Kagome could have Inuyasha, and she could have Miroku if she wanted... All I want is my life back," Sango thought to herself. 

            She abruptly awaked out of her thoughts as she ran into Inuyasha's back. Apparently they had stopped for some reason. She blushed _again at the thought of touching him, but then looked around and realized something. A thick blanket of miasma was beginning to fall over them, and she was starting to feel sick again. Inuyasha pulled off his fire rat coat in one swift moment and wrapped it around Sango. "Here, this will keep you safe," he said, fully aware that Kagome and Miroku were staring at them right now. Sango nodded, and hugged the coat closer to her. Mmmm... It smells just like him. She started to whisper a low 'thanks', but Inuyasha had already withdrawn the Tetsugaiga, and appeared to be preparing for battle._

            Sango grabbed her Hiraikotsu and donned her gas mask, while Miroku put a hand on his prayer beads and gripped his staff, and Kirara changed into her larger form. Shippou and Kagome stood off to one side, Kagome with her bow and arrow in hand, and Shippou preparing to use his fox fire. As they each stood in their battle stances, the sky suddenly darkened.

            Faintly visible on the empty horizon was a solitary cloud with an object atop it. As this object drew closer the miasma thickened accordingly. Sango and Miroku tried to restrain their coughs, but to very little avail. As the figure grew closer, Inuyasha's grip on Tetsugaiga tightened, and he started to growl softly. He instinctively stepped in front of Sango and took up his battle stance. This tiny action did not go unnoticed by Miroku. As the cloud was finally before them, Inuyasha and the others frowned.

            "Sesshoumaru... what do you want?" Inuyasha replied with a growl.

"I want what is mine, of course... _Little brother..." Sesshoumaru answered in the mockingly polite voice that Inuyasha always hated. _

"No! We will never give it to the likes of you! Never!" This comment came from Sango. Sesshoumaru lifted an eyebrow at her. He had always found this human quite interesting. Though he didn't appreciate the way she used the _same eye shadow he used! He had always thought that __he was the only one to use __'lilac blush' by Maybelline! It just wasn't fair!_

            And the way Inuyasha protected her was sickening. What sickened him more was the way the other dark haired girl was glaring at him. How dare she glare at such a beautiful creature as him! It was unnerving, to think that this human filly thought that she was better than _him_! His hair was much more beautiful than hers, and he didn't have all those horrible split ends. 

            Growing tired of these worthless creatures, Sesshoumaru aimed his poison claw at Inuyasha. He swiped straight towards him and towards the girl behind him, the one who was wearing his coat, but his little brother soundly avoided it with his Tetsusaiga, with a little effort. From the way he grimaced when he moved his left arm it appeared that he was injured in their previous battle. 

            Sesshoumaru prepared for another attack, when suddenly the cloud of miasma that had been hanging in the air thickened, and a purple-black mist surrounded them. He looked to his right to see the familiar baboon pelt. Naraku. What business did he have here? As the cloud of purple smoke dissipated, another blue cloud formed. The small fox was about to use his magic. He aimed another devastating blow towards the Kitsune, and the blue cloud disappeared as the fox jumped out of the way. 

            Sesshoumaru turned his attention back towards his brother and the girl wearing the coat. He was going to make sure he was the only one wearing _lilac blush by Maybelline after this. His eyes turned a terrifying shade of red, and as soon as Inuyasha saw that he meant to transform into the true dog demon he was, he aimed the Tetsusaiga at him. It appeared his brother had indeed found the wind scar. _

            He mustn't let such devastating power cause him any more split ends. He looked over at the baboon sitting passively by the edge of the woods, and he knew that Naraku would not have enough power to take care of Inuyasha once and for all, at least not at the moment. Secure in the fact that he would be the one to kill his younger brother, he disappeared into the smoke before Inuyasha could completely bring down Tetsusaiga. Inuyasha and the others watched as Sesshoumaru disappeared. 'He must have felt the wind scar,' thought Inuyasha to himself. He turned his attention back towards Naraku, but it appeared Naraku wasn't looking at him at all. He was facing towards... Sango...?

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End file.
